Entertaining and insightful comedy

Two friends (Madhavan and Sharman Joshi) embark on a quest for a lost buddy. On this journey, they encounter a long forgotten bet, a wedding they must crash and a funeral that goes impossibly out of control.

As they make their way through the perilous landscape, another journey begins: their inner journey through memory lane and the story of their friend- the irrepressible free-thinker Rancho (Aamir Khan), who in his unique way, touched and changed their lives.

It's a story of their hostel days that swings between rancho's romance with the spirited Pia (Kareena Kapoor), and his clash with and oppressive mentor, Viru Sahastrabudhhe (Boman Irani). And then one day, suddenly, Rancho vanishes...

Who was he? Where did he come from? Why did he leave?

The friend who influenced and inspired them to think creatively and independently, even as the conformist world called them three idiots. Where is the original idiot now?

Finally, in misty mountains of unparalleled beauty, they find the key to the secret.

‘3 Idiots’ is comedy of ideas that is a provocative as it is funny, as wildly entertaining as it is insightful. A laugh-riot that talks about the most important of human pursuits: self-actualisation.

Shah Rukh finds it very different from director’s previous films

Putting speculations to rest, director-producer Karan Johar said that his forthcoming film "My Name Is Khan", that has Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in main leads, has nothing to do with terrorism.

"'My Name is Khan' has nothing to do with terrorism. It is not a terrorism-based plot at all. It is a humanitarian tale about love and sacrifice," Karan told reporters after unveiling the first look of "My Name Is Khan" at JW Marriot Hotel in Mumbai on Wednesday (Dec 16).

The film's story revolves around Rizwan Khan (Shah Rukh) who suffers from Asperger syndrome, a form of autism. Rizwan falls in love with a single mother Mandira (Kajol) who lives in San Francisco. Rizwan is detained by authorities at Los Angeles International Airport, mistaking his disability for "suspicious" behaviour.

"It is about overcoming a phase, it is about triumph of the human spirit," said Karan.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Producers’ strike, swine flu, IPL and general elections led to losses

'Blue' was one of the several big budget flops of 2009

The Hindi film industry never had it so bad. Recession, a producer-multiplex strike, and a string of duds led to one of the worst years for Bollywood. Experts say it suffered a loss of about Rs.700 crore (Rs.7 billion) in 2009.

"2009 has been a disastrous year for the Hindi film industry. We've had everything, from swine flu, cricket matches, elections to a strike against the industry this time," trade analyst Taran Adarsh told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

"And then we had major flops like 'Chandni Chowk To China', 'Aladin' and 'Kurbaan' to name a few. People have lost almost 75-100 percent for a movie. Though the actual losses cannot be accounted, it is huge and more than Rs.500-700 crore," he added.

Film critic Omar Qureshi echoed the same.

"It has been one of the bad years. Unfortunately, some of the big movies failed this year. Even Diwali, when we release the biggest movies of the year, was such a disappointment with failures in 'Blue' and 'Main Aurr Mrs. Khanna'."

The year started with not-so-happening movies like "The President Is Coming", "Bad Luck Govind", "Kaashh...Mere Hote" - none of them could ignite the box office.

It was followed by massively promoted big budgets like Warner Bros co-production - Rs. 51-crore "Chandni Chowk To China", Shah Rukh Khan's home production, the Rs.23 crore "Billu", and UTV's Rs.45 crore "Delhi 6" - all of them failed at the ticket window.

So far 120-odd films have released, but hits are few and far between. Movies that made business include low-budget ones like "Raaz - The Mystery Continues", "Dev D", "13 B", "Phoonk", "New York", "Wake Up Sid", "Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani".

Films like "Luck By Chance", "Firaaq", "Gulaal" and "Quick Gun Murugun" couldn't get the cash registers ringing, but received appreciation from audiences and critics alike.

The first few months were spent reeling under recession. Then came another blow in the form of the film producers-distributors' tussle with multiplexes over revenue sharing. It led to a two-month strike - from April 4 to June 5 - and witnessed a virtual drought of movies. During that period, gap fillers like "Coffee House", "99", "Suno Na" and "Detective Naani" were released.

As soon as the strike got over, IPL matches and elections started, leading to low footfalls in theatres.

Bollywood events also took a nose dive in the wake of swine flu which led to the closing of cinema halls temporarily as well as cancellation of shootings.

"The year has been a tough one because of a couple of reasons. First, for three months there were no releases which caused a dent and a lot of movies bunched up that further ate one another's revenues. Then, because of the abundance of movies, audiences declined," Siddharth Roy Kapur, CEO of UTV Motion Pictures, told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

Adarsh, however, felt "the two main reasons for the industry's debacle this year have been the remuneration of actors and corporates that acquired movies at exorbitant prices, leading to doomsday."

"The costing this year was the biggest spoilsport. It was so huge that it ruined the industry. The industry was thrown to the lions because of actors' fees and it was very difficult for the producers to recover the investments," he said.

Most big-budget films received tremendous openings courtesy round the clock promotions but fell flat at the box office.

Bollywood now awaits the much-talked about "3 Idiots", which is releasing on Dec 25. Trade pundits hope that the Aamir Khan-starrer repeats the same success story that "Ghajini" created when it was released last year on the same day.

They also suggest some revival strategy in the new year.

Qureshi said: "We must look at reinventing scripts with a good story and a good star cast. You cannot insult the audience now and take them for granted. You have to make intelligent movies. Look at a very intelligent stupid movie 'Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani' that worked wonders."

Said Roy Kapoor, "2010 should be high on creativity and hope the production costs come down and a model is developed that is more effective than it was ever before."

Exclusive first-look trailer of film will air on STAR TV tonight

The latest Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol film "My Name Is Khan" has been selected to screen at the 60th annual Berlin International Film Festival, next year, according to the festival organisers.

Directed by Karan Johar and set in the US, "My Name Is Khan" will screen at one of the oldest and most respected film festivals in the world and in a country that has a growing appetite for Indian cinema.

The Berlin International Film Festival runs from Feb 11 to 21, 2010 and will host premieres from top filmmakers from dozens of countries including the world premiere of Martin Scorsese's next film "Shutter Island" starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Both Johar and Scorsese will be debuting their fourth feature films with actors Khan and DiCaprio, respectively.

"The Competition of the 60th anniversary Berlinale will be marked by a mix of styles and genres, by exciting newcomers and renowned directors," says festival director Dieter Kosslick.

"My Name Is Khan" is set to be released in theatres in India and over 40 countries including the US, Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East on Feb 12 on Valentine's Day weekend.

In North America, it will be released by Fox Searchlight Pictures which previously released "The Namesake", "Bend It Like Beckham", "Water", and "Slumdog Millionaire".

An exclusive first-look trailer for "My Name Is Khan" will air on STAR TV on Wednesday (Oct 16), at 10:00 p.m. IST and will then be beamed across 70 countries worldwide.

In the film, Shah Rukh stars as Rizvan Khan, an unconventional hero who embarks on an incredible journey across America in order to win back the love of his life. Along the way his unique brand of goodness and humanity touches the lives of many and inspires a nation.

"My Name Is Khan" reunites Shah Rukh, named by Time magazine as "the world's biggest movie star", and Kajol for the first time in eight years. They were last seen together in "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham" (2001).

They have previously starred in five films together, including "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" and "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge", all of which were blockbuster hits that established the pair as Bollywood's hottest on-screen couple.

The film also marks a re-teaming of Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan, who most recently collaborated three years ago on "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna" (2006).

Over the years, Karan and Shah Rukh have enjoyed an unbelievable run at the box office, working together on such hit films as "Kal Ho Naa Ho" and "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham", some of the most successful Indian films at the international box office.

She spent most of Sunday in hospital

Katrina Kaif has been prescribed complete bed rest as her health becomes a cause of concern.

The actress, who recently had jaundice, is unwell once again and was seen at a suburban hospital in Mumbai yesterday (Dec 13).

Her hemoglobin level mysteriously continues to fall down despite medical treatment from the best of the doctors. This is of immense concern for her family and friends.

Katrina spent almost the whole of Sunday at the hospital undergoing medical tests, as the doctors too were worried about her deteriorating health.

Despite her frail condition, there have been certain commitments which Katrina hasn’t missed in last couple of weeks. One such commitment kept her on her toes on Friday and Saturday evening. It was the Sangeet and wedding ceremony of Salman’s Khan’s friend Krishan Narayan’s daughter.

After several public appearances over the last couple of weeks, these two hectic days proved to be the last straw and Katrina was unable to get out of bed on Sunday morning and had to visit the doctor.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Only 3 songs in the album, and all are good

Music director: Sulaiman and Salim Merchant

Lyricist: Jaideep Sahni

Singers: Benny Dayal, Vishal Dadlani and Salim Merchant

"Chak De! India" director Shimit Amin is back with "Rocket Singh - Salesman Of The Year". If the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer had six original tracks, the album of his new film has only three songs. But they are definitely worth hearing.

The music of "Rocket Singh", which has Ranbir Kapoor in the lead, is by composer brothers Salim and Sulaiman Merchant and the soundtrack has eight bonus tracks from old Yash Raj Films.

The first song "Gadbadi hadbadi" is sung by composer Salim himself. It is full of punch and is an energetic number. The song has a rock feel owing to its orchestration. It gets an edge when it slows down in between and then again gains momentum.

Next is a beautiful number "Pankho ko" crooned by Benny Dayal. The song has a certain raw appeal and the lyrics are insightful and intriguing. The strumming of the guitar makes it soft and soothing to the ears. The track holds the interest of the listener right till the end.

Finally, we have the title track that is doing the rounds of TV channels. "Pocket mein rocket" has Vishal Dadlani behind the mike and is a fun song. The foot-tapping number will be liked by many.

What was Viveik doing in Bachchan territory?

Viveik Oberoi and Celina Jaitley with an official at the IIFA 2011 announcement

The 12th Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) will be held in Ontario, Canada, in 2011. However, organisers are yet to announce the venue for the IIFA awards in 2010.

"Before announcing the location for 2010, we are doing it for 2011. It is very unprecedented on our part. Toronto has shown us the excitement and passion to host IIFA 2011. They have a fantastic infrastructure but they wanted to take time to make sure everything is perfect for the event," Viraf Sirkari, a director of event management company Wizcraft that organises IIFA every year, told reporters in Mumbai on Dec 9.

Toronto would be the first North American city to host the IIFA.

Commenting upon the venue for IIFA Awards 2010, Sarkari said: "Very soon we will be announcing our destination for 2010. We have quite a few countries very keen and we are in tough negotiations with them."

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who is the brand ambassador of IIFA, could not attend the event as he had to be present at the Dubai International Film Festival to receive an honour.

But his message was conveyed through a pre-recorded video.

"IIFA has moved forward and has over the time brought people from different cultures and races together on a global stage. It bridges countries, nations, businesses, communities and cinemas and this is our wish too for IIFA, Toronto 2011. As the IIFA brand ambassador, I pledge my complete support to the IIFA celebration and do look for a greener IIFA 2011," he said.

In Bachchan’s absence, present at the IIFA 2010 announcement were Viveik Oberoi and Celina Jaitley.

We were very surprised to see Viveik. After all, isn’t IIFA a Bachchan territory?

Ranbir says the whole event is a treat to the eyes

Amidst all the buzz of the Dubai International Film Festival, we caught up with Bollywood heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor at Madinat Jumeirah as his movie ‘Rocket Singh - Salesman of the Year' premieres at the event tonight (Dec 10).

Chivalrous and extremely quick with his responses, we get his take on DIFF, Dubai and a lot more...

Being your first film festival, DIFF is...

Like Disneyland. A treat to the eyes because you get to see so many films and it encourages world cinema.

You are going to use DIFF as an opportunity to...

Watch movies that I otherwise won't get to see.

Any particular person you would like to meet at DIFF...

Not really. For me this is more of an opportunity to see films and that is a bigger priority than meeting people.

Any advice from dad Rishi Kapoor for Dubai and DIFF...

Not really. He was just extremely excited that I am coming to Dubai for a film festival as we both love this place.

Besides DIFF, Dubai means...

Good food (he laughs).

The good food would be at...

Steakhouse in Mariott or Miyako in Hyatt.

The one differentiating factor about the people of Dubai...

They treat you extremely well and make you feel like you are a part of them.

You love this place. Does that mean frequent visits...

Oh yes completely. We were here on a family holiday three months ago as well and there are a lot more trips ahead...